Despite reports that WB was blindsided by Taika Waititi's decision to halt development on the live-action Akira film and focus his efforts on Thor: Love and Thunder, the studio is still sticking with Waititi as director.
In a recent interview with IGN, Waititi somewhat blames issues with the script for his decision, implying that the live-action Akira film wouldn't have been ready to start filming this fall as originally planned. However, he stated that Akira would come after Thor 4, which is set for release on November 5, 2021, and that Akira would be released, "a couple of years down the road." The live-actior Akira film was originally slated to begin filming this fall for a May 21, 2021 release.